Well, here I am again blogging about John Mellencamp. It has been a couple of months since I’ve done so, but this time I definitely have a good reason to do it. His induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10 is quickly approaching. In the past week, a suggestion was put before the Seymour Common Council to rename Community Drive in Seymour to John Mellencamp Way. It was on behalf of the Seymour High School Class of 1970, of which Mellencamp was a member. Who knew this would cause so much stir?

If you’re not aware of the “stir,” head on over to tribtown.com and read the reader comments about the four or so stories written on this exact issue. January Wetzel introduced the topic in Monday’s paper (Feb. 25) to let people know what was going to be discussed that night at the council meeting. Then the next day, Mellencamp and the reaction to the renaming from the meeting was the centerpiece in the newspaper. Reader comments quickly began flowing, some approving, and unfortunately, many opposing.
Dan Davis wrote a couple of editorials about it in the opinion section of our paper, and he had another opinion piece in today’s paper (Feb. 29). That’s what prompted me to write this blog.

I couldn’t believe some of the things people were saying. There were:
-People saying he is not deserving of the honor because he’s claimed he is from Bloomington, not Seymour.
-People saying they didn’t like his personality and some of things they say he’s done in the past. Whether they are true or not, who knows?
-People saying changing Community Drive would cause a big inconvenience to the businesses and the church along that street. January personally called those businesses and the church and not a one of them had a problem with it. None of them said it would cause a burden, when it comes to changing things like business cards or letterheads. In fact, one of the businesses mainly uses a post office box. Then, people were saying the school would have to change things. Yeah, the school may be ALONG Community Drive but it has a Second Street address. So basically, just check your facts before you make an argument about this.
-People saying Mellencamp is not “worthy” of the honor. That’s just absurd to me. Look at what he’s accomplished in his life, and the dedication he’s put toward causes like Farm Aid. Locally, he practically gave the building away that now houses the Southern Indiana Center for the Arts. It’s now enjoyed by people near and far. C’mon people…you can’t say he’s not worthy of the honor.

There are so many other things people were saying, and it just totally amazed me. Some things pertained to the argument, and many times, they strayed away from the point of the article. But it’s an open comment area, so I guess you can express your opinion however you want.

What Dan Davis pointed is was a very good point. We have received several letters to the editor from people outside of Seymour, some who used to live in Seymour and some who are just fans, who said they were Mellencamp fans and they support honoring him in some way. Why is it the people outside Seymour can accept that, but those who are here (that may possibly even personally know John) can’t seem to appreciate what John has done? One reader comment posting that I saw drew up an interesting line by saying “Fame is not measured in the number of people that know you but the lives you touch.”
That’s an interesting perspective. I don’t know how many people’s lives John Mellencamp has touched, but I’m sure his music has a strong meaning to his true fans out there. Growing up in Indiana, it’s just music you relate to. It has a feel-good sound and I’ve always thought Mellencamp’s music is good “driving music.” If I like the sound of the music and the lyrics really make the song, then I’m all for it. Mellencamp’s music does that.

So whether you like Mellencamp the person, or you just like his music and not the person, or you do or do not think a street should be named after him, that’s your opinion. You are entitled to an opinion, no doubt about it. But my opinion has always been and will continue to be to support John Mellencamp. I’m for his music, I’m for naming the street after him and most importantly, I’m for Mellencamp the person.

All I can say to John is “Congratulations, you made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
Well-deserved, John, well-deserved.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 29th, 2008 at 1:51 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.